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Vancouver

American  
[van-koo-ver] / vænˈku vər /

noun

  1. George, 1758–98, English explorer who charted the northwest Pacific coast of North America.

  2. a seaport in southwestern mainland British Columbia, Canada, on the Strait of Georgia opposite Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

  3. a city in southwestern Washington State, on the Columbia River.

  4. Mount Vancouver, a mountain on the boundary between Alaska and Canada, in the St. Elias Mountains. 15,700 feet (4,785 meters).


Vancouver 1 British  
/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

  1. an island of SW Canada, off the SW coast of British Columbia: separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound, and from the US mainland by Juan de Fuca Strait; the largest island off the W coast of North America. Chief town: Victoria. Pop: 706 243 (2001). Area: 32 137 sq km (12 408 sq miles)

  2. a city in SW Canada, in SW British Columbia: Canada's chief Pacific port, named after Captain George Vancouver: university (1908). Pop: 545 671 (2001)

  3. a mountain on the border between Canada and Alaska, in the St Elias Mountains. Height: 4785 m (15 700 ft)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Vancouver 2 British  
/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

  1. Captain George. 1757–98, English navigator, noted for his exploration of the Pacific coast of North America (1792–94)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Vancouver Cultural  
  1. City in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, on an arm of the Pacific Ocean.


Discover More

The city was named for George Vancouver, an English navigator and explorer.

Vancouver is a year-round tourist center.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“There’s not a lot of time,” said Kuntz, whose team has 10 games left in the regular season, beginning with Wednesday’s road match against division-leading Vancouver.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2026

The team combined those measurements with a complementary study based on seismic recordings collected offshore from Vancouver Island to northern California in 2021.

From Science Daily Aug. 30, 2026

He had already sailed to Japan seven times and he knew the two- or three-week passage from Vancouver to Yokohama.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 28, 2026

Gatekeepers of home listings “stand to profit significantly” by keeping listings away from the general public, Nick Aufenkamp, a Vancouver, Wash.-based real-estate agent, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch Aug. 27, 2026

When Vancouver disappeared in the clouds below, Frank buried his head in his hands and started to cry.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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